PKICF  as  CENTS, 


•riT  sT  o 

^ SOCIETY.  ,i 


THE  VEDAa 


OR 


•»  f 


y H E ^ 


ELIGIOUS  POOKS 


OF  THE 


HINDOOS: 

A LECTURE 

DELIVERED  IN  CENTRAL  HALL,  BROOKLYN,  N.  Y.,  NOV.  11th,  1884, 

BY 

Rev.  H.  C.  SCHMIDT, 

EVANG.  LUTH.  MISSIONARY  AT  RAJAHMUNDRY  INiINDIA. 


SOLD  FOR  THE  BENEFIT  OF 

“OUR  SAVIOR’S  DANISH  EVANG.  LUTHERAN  CHURCH,” 

BY 

Rev.  R.  ANDERSEN, 

193  NINTH  STREET,  near  Third  Avenue,  BKOOKEYN,  N.  Y 

HAUET  & BREEN,  PRINTERS,  60  FULTON  ST.,  NEW  YORK. 


. 4 
- >5 


MRS.  O.  SCHMIDT, 


REV.  H.  C.  SCUMIRT. 


THE  VEDAS,. 

OR 

yHE  j^ELIGIOUS  j^OOKS 

OF  THE 

HINDOOS: 


A LECTURE 

DELIVERED  IN  CENTRAL  HALL,  BROOKLYN,  N.  Y.,  NOV.  11th,  1884, 

BY 


Rev.  H.  C.  SCHMIDT, 

KVANO.  I.UTH.  MISSIONARY  AT  RAJAHMUNDRY  IN  INDIA. 


SOLD  FOR  THE  BENEFIT  OF 

“OUR  SAVIOR’S  DANISH  EVANG.  LUTHERAN  CHURCH,” 

BY 

Rev.  R.  ANDERSEN, 

193  NINTH  STREET,  noar  Third  Avenue,  BROOKLYN,  N,  Y. 


HALLET  A.  BREEN,  PRINTERS,  60  FULTON  ST.,  NEW  YORK. 


t 


THE  VEDAS, 

OR 

THE  RELIGIOUS  BOOKS  OF  THE  HINDOOS. 


The  cradle  of  the  Indo-Gerinanic  race  stood  spnie- 
wlierc  between  Palestine  and  tlie  Himalaya  Mountains. 
At  that  time  our  forefathers  aud,the  forefathers  of  the 
Aryans  in  East  India  had  the  same  language  and 
customs.  How  the  Indo-Germanic  race  found  a home 
to  the  east  of  the  countries  of  the  liible,  we  do  not 
know.  It  was  perhaps  not  long  after  the  death  of 
Noah  that  the  children  of  Japhet  went  in  this  direction 
and  settled  in  Persiii.  The  similarity  of  the  words  Iran 
and  Aryan  seems  to  indicate  that  this  was  their  home. 
We  are  also  ignorant  as  to  the  time  when  they  left  the 
mode  of  worshij)  which  they  practised  in  the  house  of 
Noah.  We  do  not  know  in  what  way  these  changes 
took  place.  But  it  must  be  taken  for  granted,  that  they 
carried  with  them  many  traces  of  their  forefathers’ 
religion,  whither  they  went.  They  certainly  were  a 
people  of  culture.  We  gather  this  from  the  influence 
they  afterwards  exercised  in  India.  We  know  that  the}’ 
separated,  one  branch  going  towards  the  Northwest  and 
the  other  to  the  East,  and  over  the  Himalaya  Moun- 
tains to  India.  After  that  separation  the  religious  cul- 
ture of  both  parties  developed  itself  separately,  and 
naturally,  also,  differently.  The  mythology  of  the 
Western  Aryans  can  hardly  be  traced  back  to  those 


8 


ancient  days,  when  they  had  religion  in  common  with 
tlieir  eastern  brethren.  Bnt  the  religion  of  the  Aryans 
Avho  went  into  India  is  still  about  the  same  itAvas  at  the 
time  of  their  arrival.  The  Hindoo  Eeligion  is  even  in 
our  days,  in  spite  of  all  influence  from  the  "West,  as 
powerful  as  it  Avas  in  the  time  when  the  llishis  com- 
posed their  religious  songs  in  sight  of  the  Himalaya 
Mountains. 

Tlie  religious  books  of  the  Hindoos,  The  Vedas,  are 
written  in  Sanscrit,  a language  wdiich  is  still  used  in 
India  and  has  a great<jr  influence  on  Indian  literature 
tlian  the  IlebreAv  has  on  the  European  languages. 
Sanscrit  literature  is  still  the  literature  of  India.  It  is 
therefore  of  jAeculiar  interest  to  those,  who  know  a little 
about  India,  to  know  something,  asAvell,  about  the  con- 
tents of  the  oldest  Sanscrit  books,  the  Vedas.  It  is  im- 
lAossible  that  a single  man  can  obtain  a thorough  know- 
ledge of  the  Hindoo  religion  as  it  is  rej)resented  in  its 
10,000  manuscripts.  The  Hindoo  religion  as  Ave  find  it 
in  India  in  our  days,  is  based  on  modern  books,  the  so- 
called  Pur  anas.  The  Vedas,  howcwer,  are  still  of  the 
greatest  importance  and  especially  the  oldest  part,  the 
Ri(j  Veda  Santrita,  about  half  the  size  of  our  Bible. 
This  is  the  highest  authority  on  Hindoo  religion. 

Max  Muller,  the  famous  Sanscrit  Professor,  says: 
“ The  autliority  of  The  Veda,  in  respect  to  all  religious 
questions,  is  as  great  in  India  noAv  as  it  has  CA'er  been. 
To  the  vast  majority  of  orthodox  l)clievers,  The  Veda 
still  forms  the  highest  and  only  infallible  authority, 
(juite  as  much  so  as  does  the  Bible  Avith  us,  or  the 
Koran  Avith  the  Mahoincdans.”  The  educated  Hindoos 
often  tell  the  missionaries,  that  the  Bible  is  for  the 


0 


Western  world  and  tlie  Veda  for  them.  They  say,  that 
they  believe  in  the  Veda  and  tliink  the  same  is  as  good, 
if  not  better  than  the  Bible.  And,  yet,  most  of  the 
learned  Hindoos  do  not  even  know  the  contents  of  their 
Vedas.  It  is  the  learned  from  Christian  countries,  who 
have  given  access  to  the  religious  books  of  the  Hindoos 
to  those  who  wish  to  study  them,  especially  the  Ger- 
man ^I.vx  Ml’ller,  the  Englishmen  Mciu  and  Moxiek 
WiLLi.VMS,  and  the  American  Wiiitxey.  When  the 
Veda  was  first  brought  before  the  public,  the  general 
impression  was  that  it  contained  moral  teaching  cx- 
])ressed  in  the  finest  poetic  language,  hardly  equalled  in 
the  Old  Testament.  In  1807,  M.vx  iluLLEU  recom- 
mended to  missionaries  that  instead  of  looking  out  for 
])oints  of  difference  they  should  “ look  more  anxiously  for 
any  common  ground,  any  spark  of  the  true  light  that  may 
still  be  revived,  any  altar  that  may  be  dedicated  afresh 
to  the  true  God.”  And  Moxieh  Willi.vms  says  that 
we  find  in  the  Veda  “high  morality  often  exjiressed 
in  impressive  language  worthy  of  Christianity  itself.” 
The  Hindoos  naturally  concluded  that  the  contents  of 
of  The  Vedas  must  be  very  precious,  if  Christians 
could  exalt  them  thus.  Even  the  British  Government 
has  given  the  Veda  a high  position  in  the  University 
curriculum  in  India,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  Bible  and 
the  Koran.  The  conservative  Hindoo  Pundits  have 
much  pride  in  their  Veda,  of  which  they,  however, 
know  little  or  nothing.  And  the  modern  Hindoo 
student,  who  has  passed  the  degree  of  B.  A.  or  M.  A. 
in  the  English  Universities  and  has  become  an  associate 
of  the  rationalistic  students  of  England  or  America, 
gathers  large  crowds  of  people  in  the  cities  of  India, 


10 


when  he  enlarges  upon  “ the  lofty  exalted  position  India 
occupied  in  Vedic  times,  some  six  thousand  years  ago, 
when  there  was  perfect  peace  and  happiness,  there  being 
no  dissensions  as  to  the  form  of  religion  and  all  men 
were  united  by  the  common  ties  of  a universal  religion 
and  fellow  feeling.”  When  the  Vedas  and  Vedic  times 
are  surrounded  with  such  fanciful  grandeur,  it  is  desir- 
able that  we  should  become  acquainted  with  the  con- 
tents of  the  former. 

The  book  Rig  Veda  is  the  oldest  ever  discovered  or 
ever  alluded  to  in  Sanscrit  literature.  Not  many  por- 
tions of  the  Bible  are  older  than  this,  “ While  the 
Israelites  under  the  auspicious  leadership  of  Moses  were 
sounding  the  loud  timbrel  over  Egypt’s  dark  sea,  the 
Aryan  emigrants  from  the  highlands  of  Central  Asia 
were  singing  the  praises  of  Agus  and  Indea  on  the  banks 
of  the  Saraswati,  in  the  hymns  of  the  Rig  Veda.” 

The  word  Veda  means  logos — the  word,  the  spoken 
word  or  uttered  knowledge.  This  knowledge,  Veda, 
was  transmitted  not  in  writing,  but  by  constant  oral 
repetition  from  Brahmin  to  Brahmin.  The  reading  of 
the  Koran  is  considered  a sacred  duty  by  Mahomedans. 
But  not  so  with  the  Veda  of  the  Hindoos.  Their  Veda 
,must  not  be  written  or  read,  but  repeated  from  mouth 
to  mouth.  The  songs  of  the  Vedas  are  represented  as 
having  issued  like  breath  from  the  self-existent,  and,  to 
have  been  heard  and  communicated  not  to  a single  person, 
but  to  thirty  inspired  sages,  the  so-called  Rishis,  who 
were  companions  of  the  Gods  and  sat  with  them  on  the 
kusi-grass,  drinking  Soma-juiee.  The  orthodox  Sans- 
crit Pundit  and  the  English  trained  Brahmin  both  be- 
lieve in  the  divine  insi)iration  of  the  Veda.  In  the  Veda 


11 


itself  we  find  no  expression  to  this  effect.  Tlie  Jiishis, 
whose  names  are  borne  by  the  ditlerent  hymns,  describe 
themselves  as  the  makers  and  composers  of  the  hymns. 
But  in  course  of  time  these  liymns  were  differently  re- 
garded. They  were  considered  very  ancient  and  sur- 
rounded with  much  mystery. 

T/ie  ]'eda  contains  no  historical  dates  from  which  we 
can  count  its  age,  and  it  is  impossible  to  tell  the  time 
when  the  songs  were  composed.  Alexander  came  to 
India  about  3d0  B.  C.,  and  all  the  hymns  of  the  Iii(/ 
Veda  are  mentioned  by  Sauna K a, who  was  before  that 
time.  The  language  of  the  hymns  shows  that  they  arc 
the  ])roductions  of  different  periods.  It  has  been  cal- 
culated that  the  oldest  hymns  may  be  from  1,200  B.  C. 
The  oldest  Sanscrit  Manuscripts,  however,  are  not  older 
than  about  1,000  A.  I).,  while  there  exist  Manuscripts 
of  the  Bible  from  the  year  400,  and  perhaps  earlier. 

The  Vedas  are  four  in  number  : — 

1.  liig  Veda. 

2.  Yajur  Veda,  a repetition  of  Rig  Veda  hymns  ar- 
ranged for  sacrificial  feasts. 

3.  Soma  Veda,  the  Rig  Veda  hymns  arranged  for 
Soma  drink  offerings,  and, — 

4.  Atharva  Veda,  the  cursing  Veda,  consisting  of  in- 
cantations to  avert  evils. 

The  Rig  Veda  is  the  most  ancient  and  the  most  im- 
portant; it  is  the  Veda  and  consists  of  two  parts,  the 
Mantras  and  the  Brahinanas.  The  Mantras  or  prayers 
are  contained  in  1,017  suktas,  or  hymns  or  10,500  verses 
or  ricktas,  from  whence  the  name  Rick  or  Rig  Veda 
comes.  These  hymns  are  divided  into  ten  books  or  J/aw- 
dalas.  They  begin  with  hymns  in  praise  of  Agni,  the 


12 


god  of  fire.  Brahmanas  are  ritualistic  precepts  for  the 
singing  of  these  hymns  during  tlie  sacrifice.  Max 
Muller  says  of  i\\&  Brahmanas : — “ No  one  would  have 
supposed  that  at  so  early  a period  and  in  so  primitive  a 
state  of  society,  there  could  liave  risen  up  a literature 
which  for  pedantry  and  downright  absurdity  can  hardly 
be  matched  anywhere.  These  works  deserve  to  be 
studied  as  a physician  studies  the  twaddle  of  idiots,  and 
the  raving  of  madmen.  They  will  disclose  to  a thought- 
ful eye  the  ruins  of  faded  grandeur,  the  memories  of 
noble  aspirations.  But  let  us  only  try  to  translate  these 
Avorks  into  our  own  language,  and  Ave  shall  feel  aston- 
ished that  human  thought  should  ever  have  been  used 
for  such  i)urposes.”  That  Avhich  strikes  the  reader  almost 
anywhere,  is,  to  use  Moxier  Williams’  Avords: — 
“ tedious  rc})etitions,  redundant  e]hthets  and  far  fetched 
conceits.”  Max  Muller  after  wondering  at  the  high 
oi)inion  many  have  of  The  Veda,  sa}^s; — “ I haA'clongfelt 
that  it  was  high  time  to  dispel  such  illusions,  and  to  place 
the  study  of  the  ancient  religions  of  the  Avorld  on  a 
more  real  and  sound,  on  a more  truly  historical  basis. 
Whether  I am  myself  one  of  the  guilty  or  not,  I cannot 
help  calling  attention  to  the  real  mischief  that  has  been 
done  and  is  still  being  done  by  the  enthusiasm  of  those 
pioneers  Avho  have  opened  the  first  avenues  through  the 
bcAvildering  forest  of  the  sacred  literature  of  the  East. 
What  Ave  Avant  here,  as  everywhere  else,  is  the  truth  and 
the  Avholc  truth  ; and  if  the  Avhole  truth  must  be  told, 
it  is,  that  however  radiant  the  dawn  of  religious 
thought,  it  is  not  Avithout  its  dark  clouds,  its  chilling 
colds,  its  noxious  Auipors.  I confess  it  has  been  for 
many  years  a ])roblem  to  me,  a3'e,  and  to  a great  extent 


13 


is  so  still,  how  the  saoretl  books  of  the  East  should,  by 
the  side  of  so  much  that  is  fresh,  natural,  simple,  beau- 
tiful and  true,  contain  so  much  that  is  not  only  un- 
meaning, artificial  and  silly,  but  even  hideous  and  re- 
pellent.” 

In  looking  at  the  Veda  we  find  that  the  first  hymn  is 
a prayer  to  Agni,  the  second  to  Vayu,  Indra  and  Var- 
una  ; the  third  is  a worshipj)ing  of  the  Asioriis,  or  the 
young  gods,  and  so  on  to  the  Mariits  as  storm  gods,  the 
river  gods,  the  Soma-juice,  which  was  addressed  as  a 
deity,  and  many  others. 

The  difference  between  the  religious  books  of  the 
Hindoos  and  those  of  the  Jews  in  this  resjiect  is  very 
remarkable.  Though  the  Jews  now  and  then  became 
idolaters,  still  the  oiaginal  primitive  revelation  of  one 
God  always  underlay  their  religion  and  their  history. 
But  the  Veda  is  not  based  on  Monotheism  ; it  is  a wor- 
-sliipping  of  much  and  many. 

A friend  of  mine,  Mr.  J.  D.  B.  Gridble,  Collector 
at  Rajahmundry,  has  versified  some  parts  of  the  Veda. 
One  portion  of  the  twenty-seventh  svlda  of  the  first 
MatidaJa  runs  thus  : 

We  Mrill  worship  the  great  gods, 

And  worship  the  smaU  ones. 

We  will  worship  the  young  gods, 

-Vnd  worship  the  old  ones. 

We  will  worship  all  gods 
To  the  best  of  our  power  ; 

Nor  may  I forget  to  worship 
The  gods  of  old  times. 

Among  the  multiplicity  of  gods,  the  number  of  three 
seems  to  be  of  great  importance.  Agni,  the  god  of 
fire,  is  the  first.  Indra,  or  heaven,  the  second,  and 
Siirya,  or  the  sun,  the  third.  The  favorite  number  is 


14 


however  thirty-three.  In  one  Mantra  it  is  said:  “come 
hither  together  with  the  thrice  eleven  gods,  to  drink 
Soma.”  Many  similar  sentences  are  found.  At  last  the 
number  of  gods  was  raised  to  330,000,000. 

It  is  perhaps  impossible  to  analyse  the  Veda  in  order 
to  give  its  religious  contents  shape  and  form.  At  least 
it  never  has  been  done.  But  it  may  be  of  some  interest 
to  ask:  what  do  we  find  in  it  and  what  do  we  not  find 
there?  There  is  no  history,  as  such,  to  be  found  in  the 
Rig  Veda,  no  narrative,  no  biography,  no  chronology, 
no  science,  no  religious  creed  or  a system  of  belief. 
Nowhere  in  it  are  idols  referred  to,  or  temples.  The 
names  of  the  present  Hindoo  deities  are  not  found  in 
the  Veda.  The  Trinity,  Brahma,  Vishnu  and  Siva,  was 
unknown  then  ; also  Rama,  Krishna,  Ganesha,  Kali, 
Gunga,  or  any  of  the  present  gods  of  the  Hindoos. 
While  Gunga  is  mentioned  only  as  a river,  the  rivers 
Indus  and  Saraswati  are  called  gods.  The  relationship 
of  the  different  gods  is  given  differently  by  the  different 
Rishis.  The  son  is  sometimes  the  father,  the  daughter 
the  mother,  if  not  the  grandmother  ; the  mother  in  one 
hymn  is  the  wife  in  another,  and  the  husband  in  one 
the  brother  in  another. 

Sun,  xnoon,  day  and  dawn  were  worshipped,  but  not 
the  stars  or  the  constellations  of  the  stars.  AVe  find 
no  traces  of  fetish  worship,  although  the  Rishis  wor- 
shipped the  Soma-juice,  the  pi-ayer,  the  sacrificial 
horse,  the  kusi-grass  and  sacrificial  instruments.  There 
was  no  regularly  organized  jwiesthood  in  A^edic  times, 
the  'head  of  each  family  was  also  priest.  There 
were  no  festival  days,  and  the  month  was  hardly 
divided  into  weeks  of  seven  days  each,  with  one  day  of 


IT) 


rest.  There  were  then  no  sacred  places  of  })ilgrimage, 
and  the  waters  of  the  Indian  rivers  were  not  considered 
holy  or  able  to  })nrify  the  soul  from  sin. 

In  the  Vedas  no  reference  is  made  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  transmigration  of  souls  at  present  taught  everywhere 
in  India.  According  to  this  doctrine  a man  may  be  to- 
day an  intelligent  rational  being,  to-morrow  he  may  be 
a chattering  monkey;  to-day  his  mother  may  be  a tender- 
hearted woman,  to-morrow  she  maybe  a ravening  wolf  ; 
to-day  his  son  may  be  a studious  youth,  next  year  he 
may  be  a stuj)id  buffalo  ; and  his  daughter  may  be  to- 
day a i)layful  girl,  but  next  week  she  may  be  a skipping 
goat.  The  crow  watching  to  snatch  a morsel  off  his 
dish  may  be  his  own  deceased  father ; the  hungry  cat 
his  own  degraded  grandmother  and  the  crawling  serpent 
his  late  sister.  But  of  this  degrading  doctrine  which 
now  prevails  all  over  India,  we  find  as  just  said,  not 
even  a single  trace  in  the  Veda.  On  the  contrary  we 
find  that  animals  were  used  in  sacrifice  and  also  as  food, 
and  for  that  reason  alone  they  could  not  have  believed 
in  the  transmigration  of  the  soul. 

The  Veda  does  not  indicate  the  practice  of  child-mar- 
riages, now  so  common  in  India.  We  find  love-stories, 
which  seem  to  prove  that  the  girls  could  not  have  been 
children  at  the  age  of  three  or  six,  at  which  age  they  are 
there  now  married. 

The  horrible  rite  of  Sati,  or  burning  of  the  living 
widow  with  her  husband’s  corpse,  is  nowhere  alluded  to 
in  TheVeda,  although  many  Brahmins  argue  that  it 
is  a rite  therein  prescribed,  a religious  rite,  which  the 
British  Government  ought  not  to  prohibit,  as  they  do. 
Widow  marriages  are  not  forbidden  in  TheVeda. 


]0 


The  all-prevalent  system  of  Caste  did  not  exist  in 
Vedic  times.  The  different  elasses  of  men  were  not 
eonsidered  to  be  different  ereations.  Caste  is  now,  not 
merely  a designation  of  soeial  or  religious  rank,  or  trade 
— though  it  is  also  that.  Buteasteis  the  feature  of  In- 
dian nationality  hy  whicli  all  soeial  eustoms  of  the  Hin- 
doos and  all  their  lives  are  governed.  It  gives  to  every 
Hindoo  his  position  in  life.  By  it  he  is  born  a priest,  or 
goldsmith,  or  shoemaker,  or  whatever  his  father  may 
be.  He  need  not  select  his  trade.  Caste  has  made  him 
from  the  day  of  his  birth  just  that  and  only  that  what 
his  forefathers  have  been,  and  what  his  children  and 
children’s  children  Avill  he,  including  the  daughters,  be- 
cause they  can  only  he  married  to  men  of  the  same  caste. 
They  cannot  change  their  position  in  life  and  cannot 
have  fellowship  with  pcojde  of  other  castes.  Such  is 
caste  in  our  day  in  India,  but  of  tliis  the  Jlis/tis  knew 
nothing.  They  could  marry  daughters  of  other  })c'ople. 
There  existed  already  different  trades  and  the  priests 
began  to  become  important  people.  But  no  honor  or 
privilege  was  bestowed  uj)on  them,  because  of  their 
birth  or  their  origin. 

, A comparatively  modern  text  in  the  tenth  Mandula 
is  sometimes  cpioted  hy  Brahmins  in  sujiport  of  caste, 
and  its  origin.  It  reads: — 

With  Parusha  a victim,  they  performed 
A sacrifice.  When  tliey  divided  him, 

How  did  they  cut  him  up  ? What  was  his  mouth  1 
What  were  his  arms  1 And  what  his  thigli  and  feet? 

The  Brahmin  was  his  mouth,  the  kingly  soldier 
W'as  made  his  arms,  the  husbandman  his  thighs. 

The  servile  Sudra  issued  from  his  feet. 

This  text  refers  to  the  sacrificial  victim  and  not  to  the 
god  Brahma.  Tiie  word  B rah  in  was  at  that  timp  only 


17 


known  as  prayer,  and  was  not’j)crsonified.  It  could  not, 
therefore,  liave  the  meaning  that  the  Brahmins  had 
come  from  the  head  of  Brahma,  the  Kshatriyas  from 
his  arms,  Vaishyas  from  his  belly  and  the  Sudras  from 
his  feet,  as  we  are  told  by  the  Hindoos.  All  that  this 
text  proves  in  this  respect  is,  that  there  existed  at  that 
time  these  four  different  classes  of  people. 

!Max  Muller  wrote  in  the  London  Times,  in  April, 
1858: — “ does  caste,  as  we  find  it  in  Monu  and  at  the 
present  day,  form  part  of  the  religious  teaching  of  the 
Vedas  ? We  answer  with  a decided  ‘Xo  ’ There  is  no 
authority  whatever  in  the  Veda  for  the  complicated 
system  of  caste,  no  authoi-ity  for  the  offensive  privileges 
claimed  by  the  Brahmins;  no  authority  for  the  degraded 
position  of  the  Sudras.  There  is  no  law  to  prohibit  the 
different  classes  of  the  people  from  living  together;  from 
eating  and  drinking  together;  no  law  to  prohibit  the 
marriage  of  people  belonging  to  different  castes;  no  law 
to  brand  the  offspring  of  such  marriages  with  .an  indeli- 
ble stigma.” 

AVe  have  thus  seen  what  we  do  not  find  in  The  Vedas. 
Let  us  now  ask, — what  do  we  find  there? 

First,  the  Vedic  theory  of  God. 

De  Muir  says  that  the  Vedas  ‘‘are  the  productions  of 
simple  men,  who,  under  the  influence  of  the  most  im- 
pressive phenomena  of  nature,  saw  everywhere  the 
presence  and  agency  of  divine  powers,  who  imagined 
that  each  of  the  great  provinces  of  the  universe  was  di- 
rected and  animated  by  its  own  separate  deity,  and  who 
had  not  yet  risen  to  a clear  idea  of  one  supreme  creator 
and  governor  of  all  things.” 

And  Ram  Chaxdra  Ghose  sjivs  about  the  A’edic 


18 


idea  of  God: — “ The  whole  nature  of  the  ideal  and  imagi- 
nary gods  was  still  transparent,  they  were  merely 
names  of  natural  phenomena  and  without  being;  they 
were  the  creatures  of  man  and  not  his  creators.”  But 
though  this  may  be  taken  for  granted,  still  the  worship- 
pers in  Vedic  times  had  both  gods  and  goddesses.  Varu- 
na,  the  sky,  had  his  wife,  called  and  Inclra 

(heaven)  had  his  wife  Indrani.  They  offered  Soma  and 
their  prayers  to  personal  gods,  and  expected  in  return 
cows,  liorses,  and  sons,  and  even  forgiveness  of  sin. 

The  religion  of  the  Tedas  is  Polytheism.  Though 
the  early  worshippers  clothed  their  gods  with  human 
forms  of  their  own  imagination,  still  it  was  no  gross 
idol-worshipping  like  the  religion  of  the  modern  Hin- 
doos. Max  Muller  believes  that  this  Polytheism  had 
its  root  in  Monotheism.  lie  says: — “The  conscious- 
ness that  all  the  deities  are  but  different  names  of  one 
and  the  same  Godhead  breaks  forth  here  and  there  in 
the  Veda,  but  it  is  far  from  general.  Only  a few  of 
the  hymns  appear  to  contain  the  simple  conception  of 
one  divine,  self-existent  Being,  and  even  in  those  the 
idea  of  one  God  present  in  all  nature  is  somewhat  nebu- 
lous and  undefined.” 

Believing  as  we  do,  that  the  earliest  forefathers  of  the 
Hindoos  knew  the  worship  of  the  one  true  God  and  had 
})ractised  it  in  the  house  of  Noah,  we  can  understand 
that  traces  of  monotheism  arc  and  must  be  discerned 
in  the  Vedas.  But  by  the  time  the  hymns  came  to  be  com- 
posed and  collected,  an  undoubted  i)olythcism  prevailed. 
This  is  seen  not  only  in  the  number  of  gods  worship- 
ped, but  in  their  se})aratc  individuality,  their  distinct 
traits  of  character  and  their  personal  histories. 

Co7iscious7iess  of  si7i  is  the  prominent  characteristic 


19 


of  the  religion  of  tlieVechis,  says  Ram  Ciiaxdka  Giiosk. 
The  existence  of  sin  is  acknowledged  throughout  the 
Vedas.  Brahmins  in  our  days  generally  object  to  the 
Christian  doctrine  of  man’s  depravity,  and  argue  that 
there  are  or  at  least  may  be  sinless  and  holy  people,  but 
The  Veda  knows  men  only  as  sinners.  Max  Muller 
says,  that  not  only  is  the  idea  of  sin  to  be  found  in  the 
Veda,  but  also  the  ideas  of  justice  and  mercy  so  con- 
tradictory to  the  human  understanding,  and  yet  so 
easily  reconciled  in  every  human  heart.  Even  original 
sin  is  alluded  to. 

The  RishiVashisia  prays: — 

“ Absolve  us  from  the  sins  of  our  fathers.  And  from 
those  which  we  committed  with  our  own  bodies.” 
!Max  Muller,  says  that  the  hymns  represent  human 
nature  on  a low  level  of  selfishness,  and  worldliness,  and 
ascribe  even  to  the  gods  sentiments  and  passions  un- 
worthy of  the  deity,  such  as  anger,  revenge,  etc. 

We  find  in  TheVedas,  references  to  Immortality, 
and  even  to  a Resurrection  of  the  Body.  Tama  is  the  god 
of  death,  but  he  is  always  mentioned  in  connection  with 
the  happiness  of  the  dead.  Hell  is  not  often  mentioned. 
Nevertheless  the  god  Tama  was  always  dreaded  and 
even  the  gods  were  afraid  of  death. 

Both  burning  and  burial  of  the  dead  was  practiced. 
The  burning  seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  a kind  of 
sacrifice  to  Agni,  as  can  be  seen  from  the  following 
prayer:  “Do  thou,  Agni,  burn  up  and  consume  him. — 
As  for  his  unborn  jiarts,  do  thou  kindle  it  with  thy  heat. 
— Give  up  again  to  the  Pitris,  him  who  comes  offered 
to  thee  with  oblations.  Putting  on  life,  let  him  ap- 
proach his  remains;  let  him  meet  with  his  body,  0, 
Yatavedas,  {Agni).” 


20 


But  of  all  things  Sacrifice  is  the  most  pi-omiiient 
feature  of  the  Vedic  religion.  The  Christian  doctrine 
of  sacrifice  and  of  Christ  as  our  substitute  is  at  present 
the  greatest  stumbling-block  of  the  Hindoo  mind. 
And  still  it  is  sacrifice  Avhich  was  of  such  great  impor- 
tance in  tlie  Tedic  religion.  In  one  Mantra  it  is  said 
that  sacrifice  is  the  nave,  the  centre  of  the  world-wheel. 
The  very  first  words  of  the  liigVeda  &yq: — “I  glorify 
Agni,  the  high  priest  of  the  sacrifice.”  In  the  Tandy  a 
Malm  Brahmana  v>'Q  find  a remarkable  passage: — “0 
thou,  animal  limb,  now  being  consigned  to  the  fire, 
thou  art  the  annulment  of  sins  committed  by  gods. 
Thou  art  the  annulment  of  sins  committed  by  the 
fathers.  Thou  art  the  annulment  of  sins  committed  by 
men.  Thou  art  the  annulment  of  sins  committed  by 
ourselves.  Whatever  sins  we  have  committed  by  day 
and  by  night, — thou  art  the  annulment  of  sin — of  sin.” 
Sacrifice  was  doubtless  regarded  as  a propitiation  for  sin. 

The  most  important  sacrifices  were  those  of  the  Soma- 
juice,  of  ghee  or  clarified  butter,  and  of  fire,  and  these 
sacrifices  wore  also  regarded  as  deities  and  worshipped 
as  such. 

, The  juice  of  the  Soma  plant  was  intoxicating,  and  we 
are  told  that  both  gods  and  men  made  use  of  it. 
Many  of  the  ancient  Aryans  were  drunkards  and  beef- 
eaters. The  hymns  are  loud  in  praise  of  the  cheering 
effect  of  the  Soma-juice,  and  meat  is  sjiokcn  of  in  such 
a way  that  we  must  conclude  that  it  was  used  for  food 
as  well  as  for  sacrifices.  Later  on,  however,  intoxicat- 
ing drinks  were  prohibited  and  Mo7iu  orders  the  Brah- 
min to  be  excommunicated  who  touches  such  drinks. 
Animal  olTerings  are  referred  to  in  the  so-called  horse 


21 


hymns,”  and  the  practice  was  to  offer  first  a goat  and 
then  tlie  horse.  No  mention  is  made  of  the  .sacri- 
fice of  sheep  and  even  in  our  days  the  yagnam  or  meat- 
offering of  tlie  Hindoos  is  always  a goat.  Not  a lamb, 
hut  a young  goat  is  always  associated  with  their  ideas 
of  sacrifice. 

Remarkable  are  the  references  to  human  sacrifice. 
There  are  only  a few  ])assages  in  the  Rig  Veda  on  this 
subject  and  the  most  important  is  the  ninetieth  hymn 
of  the  10t\\  M a ndala,  the  so-called  “ Parusha  hymn.” 

The  word  Parusha  means  a man,  a male,  either  a 
human  or  divine  person.  lie  is  described  as  a sacrificial 
victim,  cut  to  ])ieces.  In  connection  with  this  many 
read  the  following  passage  from  the  Brahmanas:  “The 
Lord  of  Creation  offered  himself  a sacrifice  for  the’ 
gods.”  And  in  the  White  Yayur  vce  read:  “To  the 
Devas  (gods)  the  Lord  of  creatures  gave  himself.  He 
became  their  sacrifice.”  In  connection  with  the  subject 
of  sacrifice  nuist  also  be  considered  the  Yedic  idea  of 
Incarnation  and  Mediation.  The  Avatarams  of  Vishmi 
are  very  remarkable,  although  they  are  not  represented 
as  mediators  or  substitutes  for  others.  The  history  of 
Sunasepha,  however,  is  a striking  illustration  in  this 
respect.  King  Harish  Chandra  had  no  son  and 
vowed  to  sacrifice  him  to  Varuna,  in  case  he  should  get 
one.  His  desire  was  fulfilled  and  when  the  boy  grew 
up  the  father  told  him  what  he  had  vowed.  But  the 
son  did  not  consent  to  be  sacrificed,  and  fled,  and  War- 
una  punished  the  king  with  leprosy.  After  many  years 
the  son  longed  to  return  home  and  on  meeting  a Brah- 
min who  had  three  sons,  he  bought  one  of  them  for  a 
hundred  cows,  as  a substitute  to  Varuna.  This  boy’s 


name  was  Sunasepha.  With  him  the  king’s  son  return- 
ed to  his  father  and  said  : — 

“ Father,  this  boy  shall  be  my  substitute. 

Then  Harish  Chundra  went  to  Varuna, 

And  prayed,  “ Accept  this  ransom  tor  my  son.” 

The  god  replied:  *•  Let  him  be  sacrificed, 

A Brahmin  is  worth  more  than  a Kshatriya.” 

Thus  the  king’s  son  escaped,  but  Sunasepha  Avas  also 
kept  alive  on  imploring  the  gods  with  many  verses  from 
the  Teda. 

Agni,  as  the  high  jn-iest  of  sacrifice,  is  the  great  medi- 
ator in  the  Vedic  religion.  He  is  the  friendly  messen- 
ger between  God  and  men.  It  is  in  the  person  of  Agni 
that  we  find  the  doctrine  of  mediation  best  represented. 
But  nothing  comes  nearer  to  tlie  Christian  doctrine 
than  the  sacrifice  of  the  Lord  of  creation  of  himself 
to  himself.  We  often  read  about  men . having  be- 
come gods,  but  gods  did  not  become  men  in  order  to  be 
their  substitutes.  And  still  Parasha’s  sacrifice  of  him- 
self to  himself  indicated  that  he  had  a human  body, 
which  was  cut  up  and  sacihficed. 

We  read  about  Narayana  ; — “ He  saw  for  five  nights 
that  sacrifice.  He  took  it.  He  sacrificed 

with  it.  Having  sacrificed  Avith  it,  he  surpassed  all 
things.  He  who,  knoAving  this,  sacrifices  with  the  Para- 
sha Medha  becomes  everything.”  The  sacrifice  of  the 
Lord  of  creation  of  himself  to  himself  reminds  ais 
of  the  Rune  Song  found  in  the  ancient  North-Western 
Aryan  Mythology.  There  Odin  speaks  of  himself  thus  : 

“ I wot  that  I hung  on  a wind-rocked  tree 
Nine  long  nigtits. 

With  a spear  wounded. 

And  to  Odin  offered, — 

Myself  to  myself, — 

On  that  tree  of  which  none  knows 
From  what  root  it  springs.” 


We  see  then,  that  the  Northern  and  Hindoo  Mythol- 
ogy point  to  tlie  great  sacrifice  of  the  Lord  of  creation, 
the  offering  of  liiniself  to  himself.  We  cannot  under- 
stand how  these  traces  of  light  originated.  But  in  thus 
looking  at  the  contents  of  the  Vedas  we  must  confess 
that  there  are  only  faint  traces  of  light.  No  system  of 
religion  from  which  the  people  can  receive  lasting 
earthly  or  spiritual  blessings  and  benefits,  could  ever  he 
based  upon  the  contents  of  the  Vedas.  We  find  there  an 
altar  unto  the  unknown  God.  But  him  whom  they  ignor- 
antly worshipped,  they  could  not  know,  themselves,  nor 
declare  uhto  others.  The  Hindoos  have  therefore  done 
nothing  to  reveal  their  religion  unto  others  ; it  conveys 
no  message  of  salvation  unto  the  Avorld. 

Christian  men  have  even  brought  the  I'edas  unto 
light.  The  Vedic  religion  cannot  but  be  of  interest  to 
every  Christian.  We  find  points  of  likeness  to  Christi- 
ianity  in  these  ancient  hymns,  but  they  are  only  small 
grains  of  truth  amongst  much  rubbish  filled  with  poison. 
The  Vedic  religion  soon  developed  itself  into  coarse 
idolatry,  with  such  immoral  and  cruel  elements  as  to 
make  us  wonder  how  intelligent  people  ever  could  prac- 
tice such  religion.  But  it  is  as  Paul  says  about  all  idol- 
aters,— when  they  considered  themselves  to  be  wise, 
they  became  fools.  The  grains  of  truth  in  the  Vedas 
were  not  seeds  of  spiritual  blessings  to  the  many  mil- 
lions, in  the  following  ages.  These  grains  were  like 
those  of  wheat  found  buried  with  the  mummies  of 
Egypt  for  thousands  of  years, — useless,  dry  and  unpro- 
ductive. 


